Pure White
by Iridescent Chicanery
Summary: A post Silver Millennium vignette about Rei coming to accept her feelings for Jaedite.


A.N: First of all, this story is dedicated to my older sister who demanded that I write a Rei/Jadeite fic. My deadline was half an hour, but of course me being who I am, that is a crazy person obsessed with details and plans, dragged itoutfor a few weeks. But in my defense, at least I wrote it. Hee hee!

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own Sailor Moon. If I did, there would definitely be tons of shittenou/senshi romance!

* * *

**_Pure White_**

The full moon lay in the dark night sky like a silver sickle on sheaves of black satin. The white glow of the moon fell upon a vast field of tall grass that swayed in the cool, gentle breeze. The soft hoots of an owl filled the silent night air.

A lone figure glided through the tall grass, the soft rustling of her skirt the only sound in the night as the owl had taken flight in search of its prey. Her hair was a river of darkness with shades of violet accentuated by the light of the moon. Her skin was a creamy white in stark contrast to her hair. A small smile tugged at the corner of her lips.

She approached a small pond that lay nestled amongst the grass and bulrushes. The pond held within it the reflection of the night sky. One could fall in it and feel as though they were drifting through an endless dream of soft, glittering black waves.

Rei sat down by the pond, gazing down into its metamorphosing depths. Her fingers caressed the smooth, milky white petals of a lotus floating on the surface of the water. Her eyes were soft as she watched fireflies dance across the pond with one another and their own reflections. She dipped her fingers into the cool, undisturbed water. Ripples fanned out, causing the underwater sky to waver. The reflection of the ivory moon dematerialised, and then shimmered back into appearance.

A soft sigh escaped Rei's lips as she watched the ripples slowly fade. Her mind was preoccupied with thoughts of a young man. She could find no solace in her little haven from those piercing blue eyes. His deep, rich laugh caused her heart to overflow with warmth. His mischievous smiles made her breath catch in her throat. His child-like fascination with birds made her want to embrace him. His presence made her quake with an emotion she had never felt, and never thought she would ever feel.

Yet for all the feelings that he evoked in her, she could not bring herself to open up to the enthusiastic young man. She had thought many-a-time why she did not let him past her wrought iron gates. Why did she not speak to him as she would have liked to, without any inhibitions? Why did she not show him how much he affected her? Every question she posed to herself brought her to the same answer: she feared rejection.

She knew that her exotic appearance due to her Japanese background attracted many men, but once faced with her cool air of indifference they immediately discontinued any attempts to win her affections. And who could blame them? She was by no means gentle when it came to handling men. Those men who had showed any interest had been easily discouraged by her harsh words and hard glares.

But he…..he had not been deterred.

He did not speak harshly to her when she injected venom in her voice to curb his attempts at reaching past her barrier. He did not isolate her from his company like most men did when she snapped rudely at them. He did not judge her by her actions towards him, but by her behaviour around her friends. He did not step back when she lashed out cruelly at him. Instead, he laughed and called her a little spitfire. And every time he spoke those words, she saw softness in his eyes. And every time, her heart clenched at the depth of emotion in those eyes. His behaviour confused her.

Rei jerked away from the pond as a frog leapt into it and a soft splash was heard. She gasped loudly as she felt a weight settle on her shoulder. She whipped around to see the source of the weight, and her eyes clashed with the azure of the morning sky. Her breath caught in her throat.

* * *

Jaden walked slowly through the field. The breeze tousled his flaxen hair. In his hand he held a bouquet of Casablanca lilies. His gaze swept over the tall grass and came to rest on a lonely figure. His movements were quiet and slow. He had no intention of disturbing the quiet serenity that seemed to envelope the small form. 

He stood a few paces away from Rei, watching her lost in her thoughts. Inky strands of her hair shifted in the light breeze. A glow seemed to emanate from her body as she sat directly in the beam of moonlight shining through the cumulus clouds. She bit down on her bottom lip, and a slight frown worried her face. His hands longed to trace the contours of her mouth as she mumbled something softly to herself. Her eyes were focused on the pond and she took no notice of him as he moved closer to her.

Jaden jerked slightly as a frog croaked and leapt into the pond. He watched as Rei was pulled away from her thoughts, and his hand moved of its own accord and came to rest on her shoulder. His eyes locked with wide, violet orbs as she turned to face him. He took in how her breathing was suddenly hitched, how colour seemed to infuse her cheeks, how her lips were slightly parted as she looked at him with those wondrous amethyst eyes. He could not tear his gaze away from hers. She enchanted him in every way possible.

"What do you want?" snapped Rei.

Jaden laughed softly. She never let him down. Every time he spoke to her, she opened their conversation with the same sharply put query. His smile broadened as he saw annoyance flash in her eyes. She was so easily riled.

"The pleasure of being in your company," said Jaden softly.

* * *

Rei fumed. She didn't like how she was so easily flustered by him. She didn't like it either the way his smile showed that he knew exactly how she was going to react. He could be so infuriating at times. 

She furiously pushed back the inky tendrils of hair that swept across her face as a breeze whistled past. She saw Jaden's eyes soften, and that made her very uncomfortable. She wasn't used to being watched in the manner that he gazed at her, as though he knew every thought that flitted through her mind. She turned her face away from him to hide the deep red staining her cheeks.

"Honestly, I don't understand why you are here," snapped Rei.

"I was coming to see you at your house. You weren't there. So, I started wandering and I just happened to stumble upon you. You don't seem too pleased with my being here. Do you find my presence disagreeable?"

Rei's posture became rigid. She could hear the laughter in his tone. He was teasing her. Did he think-? No. Impossible. She certainly did not enjoy the company of his over-sized ego. Perhaps…no.

Rei abruptly stood up, frustrated in part by her yearning for his company and the other part that refused to be dominated by his overwhelming presence. She turned to face him, looking down at his startled face.

"If you will excuse me, I think I'll be heading back."

"Rei," called Jaden softly.

She turned, ready to snap at him, but her vision was obscured by milky whiteness. She inhaled. Her senses were taken over by the light, intoxicating smell of the Casablanca lilies. Her eyes closed for an instance, as she was drawn back to her past.

"I thought you might like these."

Jaden's voice immediately brought her back to the present.

* * *

She stared at him, eyes widened. In shock or surprised wonder, he wasn't sure which. He did, however, begin to feel slightly nervous as she continued to stare at him. 

"A woman normally accepts the flowers a man offers her."

"Yes. They do," said Rei, still slightly lost in her own world.

"I believe you are a woman…….or so I should hope! Seeing as how I have invested all my time and emotions in the hope of winning your affections!" laughed Jaden.

He abruptly stopped and looked away. His affection for her was obvious, but it had never been entirely solid, simply because neither spoke of it. And now, he had let it escape his lips so easily. He had let her know, that he was interested and that his interest would not stray. He had let her know that he was committed. That more than anything else, he wanted her by his side. Yet, somehow, she didn't seem ready to accept his feelings.

Jaden sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. He knew he had made her uncomfortable. Lord knew he had worked hard to get her to even talk to him, and now just by revealing how strong his feelings were, he had dragged himself all the way back to square one. She would probably not feel inclined to be in his company much.

"I'm sorry. It was rather presumptuous of me to speak so. Excuse me."

Without turning to face her, he set the flowers on the ground and strode away from her.

* * *

Rei stood still, watching him walk away from her. He was very far now, almost out of sight. She was stunned by the depth of his emotions. It had left her reeling. She couldn't name the emotion bursting forth in her, but she was sure it was very close to ecstasy, maybe even stronger than that. 

He was out of sight. She panicked. She didn't want him to leave. Why was he walking away from her? What had she done wrong? She swooped down to pick up the flowers and ran after Jaden, a desperate light in her eyes.

She had finally accepted him, and she wasn't about to allow him to leave her so easily.

* * *

Jaden stopped and stared up at the sky. The stars twinkled back at him, as though laughing at his loss. He frowned and looked down at the ground. _Fool._ He had become very attached to her and he couldn't reclaim those emotions. They belonged solely to her and always would. 

He turned as he heard rustling and stumbled back as a body collided with his. His vision was filled with inky blackness.

_Rei._

His breath caught in his throat as her tear-filled eyes locked with his. Why-?

"Don't go."

The desperate plea in her voice……did she…..? He smiled softly and wrapped his arms around her shoulders pulling her to him tightly, resting his chin on her head.

* * *

Rei wound her arms around his torso, resting her face against his chest, inhaling his scent. Now that she thought about it, he always smelled of mandarins. She buried her face into his neck, tears still falling. She loved this man. She loved everything about him.

* * *

Jaden gazed up at the stars and realised, they were never laughing at him. They had been laughing with him, because they knew she was coming, knew that her heart was bound to his. His smiled widened when he noticed the flowers clutched tightly in Rei's hands, still fresh and pure white, just like their love.

* * *

A.N: I don't know if people are disappointedthat they didn't kiss, but I feel that sometimes, you don't need a kiss to convey the depth of the emotion. Hope it was an enjoyable read! 


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